Teaching the World on a Shoestring

Teachers for Global Classrooms Deadline March 12

2011-12-20T10:08:00.000-05:00

I'm enormously excited about sharing information again about the upcoming Teachers for Global Classrooms applications. And not only because this State Department-sponsored program offers great professional development (online and in person) and travel to Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco (!) or Ukraine. Although that's certainly enough to excite any global teacher.

What really excites me, and thrills me, quite frankly, is that I recently heard from a North Carolina teacher who applied last year, was accepted, and, in her words, is now on "an amazing journey" that will take her abroad in summer, 2012.

This could be you, dear reader, dear teacher. Please apply by March 12. Go on your own amazing journey. It's your turn.

International Opportunities

2011-11-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

This could be you!

Extraordinary interational opportunities here. Please read and consider exploring. Some January deadlines here, so get to it!

BRING THE WORLD TO YOUR SCHOOL!

Explore these fully funded programs that are supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and implemented by American Councils for International Education!

CONNECT INTERNATIONALLY
The Educational Seminars Program provides short-term professional development opportunities to teachers and administrators from around the world, for 2-3 week reciprocal exchange programs and one-way professional development programs. Participating countries include Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, and Uruguay for reciprocal exchanges and Greece, India, and Italy for one-way programs.
All Educational Seminars provide airfare, training, travel health care, and living costs. For more information, please visit www.americancouncils.org/es or email edseminars@americancouncils.org.
Upcoming Program Application Deadlines: January 6 and March 30, 2012

HOST A GUEST TEACHER
The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) places EFL teachers from China and Egypt in U.S. K-12 host schools for an academic year where they teach Mandarin or Arabic language and culture. TCLP provides teachers’ salaries, healthcare, roundtrip airfare, training, professional development funds, and ongoing program support.
To increase the number of Americans teaching and learning these critical languages, selected host schools also receive access to grant opportunities to support language learning projects. For more information, please visit www.tclprogram.org or email tclp@americancouncils.org.
Program Application Deadline: January 9, 2012

STUDY LANGUAGE IN EGYPT AND CHINA
Intensive Summer Language Institutes (ISLI) provides fellowships for U.S. classroom teachers to spend six weeks overseas studying intermediate and advanced-level Arabic in Alexandria, Egypt, and Chinese in Changchun, China. Current K-12 teachers, community college instructors of Arabic and Mandarin Chinese, and students enrolled in education programs who intend to teach these languages can apply. Participants earn ten hours of graduate credit through Bryn Mawr College, and are provided with peer tutors and roundtrip airfare. All travel and study-related costs are fully covered. For more information, please visit www.americancouncils.org/isli or email isli@americancouncils.org.
Program Application Deadline: March 2, 2012

Nobel Peace Prize 2011

2011-10-07T13:44:00.000-04:00

The big news of the week--

The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded jointly to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman "for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work".

Two African and one Middle Eastern women working for peace in challenging regions and times. Their backgrounds and roles are each different, but their goals are the same.

One of the best outcomes of the Nobel Peace Prize is the opportunity for all of us, students and teachers, to learn more about the most courageous people on earth. Right now, news agencies are scrambling to get together bios, video, links, writings on the new Peace Laureates.

Set your students to finding them! And for now, reflect on Leymah Gbowee's comment from her phone interview today. "Truly women have a place."

Nobel Prize for Literature

2011-10-07T13:26:00.000-04:00

This was supposed to be the year of the Syrian poet Adonis. Instead, the committee had a (local) surprise--

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2011 is awarded to Tomas Tranströmer "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality".

And with that, let's go directly to those images. Two poems by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer here

Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2011

2011-10-05T14:44:00.000-04:00

If it's Wednesday, that means it's Chemistry.

From the Nobel Foundation:

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Dan Shechtman "for the discovery of quasicrystals".

Quasicrystals. And--they are?

Something so strange that when new Laureate Shechtman first saw the structure through an electron microscope, he drew three question marks and muttered to himself "eyn chaya kazo" (Hebrew for "there can be no such creature").

In this YouTube video, Shechtman explains how his ten-fold symmetry discovery broke (and broke open) the laws of matter we'd assumed were universal. Go ahead--he's a great explainer! And you can forgive him for smiling as he talks about being ridiculed and expelled from a research group for talking about what he'd observed.

More information about quasicrystals here. And tantalizing connections between Shechtman's chemistry research and principles of art (including the Golden Ratio) here.

Nobel Prize in Physics 2011

2011-10-04T13:18:00.002-04:00

It's Physics Day in Nobel Week. This is a biggie. It's the one Albert Einstein won, after all.

(Drumroll) And the winners are--

"The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded "for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the Universe through observations of distant supernovae" with one half to Saul Perlmutter and the other half jointly to Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess."

Anybody else thinking of the scene from Annie Hall when a young Woody Allen mutters morosely that the universe is expanding, and his distraught mother yells, "What is it your business? Brooklyn is not expanding!"

Well, it turns out it's expanding at an even faster rate than we once thought. Listen to a phone interview in which Adam G. Riess remembers the moment he realized what his data was revealing. (And he gives a classy hat tip to fellow Laureate Einstein. "Maybe he should be getting the Nobel Prize again!")

The stars--distant supernovae and otherwise--have stories well worth the exploration. Read more about Laureates' stellar explorations here.

Nobel Prize Week

2011-10-03T15:29:00.000-04:00

This is it--Fashion Week for Nobel geeks (and I'm proud to be one of them). This is the week when the entire world press decides to give us primo subject matter for globalizing the curriculum. That's why I wait for it impatiently every year.

From the Nobel Foundation:

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was divided, one half jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity" and the other half to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".

Sadly, Ralph M. Steinman, died just a few days ago. The Nobel Foundation, however, has determined to award the prize posthumously.

In addition to honoring some of the most productive and creative people in the world (and that's quite enough on its own), the Nobel Foundation makes available excellent resources for teaching our students, and ourselves about the Laureates' work. So you can learn more about immune responses here.

This is teaching science with a global focus. Teaching the world, indeed.

Free Workshop on Iraq

2011-09-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

Watercolor and Black Ink by Lukman Ahmad

Score one for integrating the arts and social studies.

My colleague at UNC, history professor Sarah Shields, had the brilliant idea of a workshop for North Carolina teachers that would introduce what we seldom see in textbooks and on the news--the art, music, and literature of Iraq.

Yes, art, music, and literature. And, yes, Iraq. We're so used to thinking about Iraq in terms of war, we've forgotten its rich traditional (and contemporary) culture. And we can't teach what we've forgotten, or didn't know about in the first place.

So Professor Shields proposed inviting artists, two Iraqi and one Kurdish, to Chapel Hill, to present and discuss their art with North Carolina teachers. The Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, the UNC History Department, and the UNC Honors Program stepped up to provide the necessary funding. The workshop is scheduled for November 12th. More information here.

Just last week we began to publicize the event among our state's teachers. And the response?

Overwhelming. More than half the available spaces are claimed already by teachers eager to learn more about Iraqi culture and art.

If you're a North Carolina teacher interested in enriching your teaching of the Middle East, contact me now. I'll save a seat for you!

Funding for Field Trips

2011-08-25T09:58:00.001-04:00

Look into this funding for field trips for yourself and/or forward to a colleague now. Deadline is October 3, 2011.

Target Corporation is accepting applications from education professionals for the Target Field Trip Grants program to bring K-12 students in the United States to museums, historical sites, and cultural organizations.

Since launching the program in 2007, Target has awarded $9.76 million in grants -- providing 1.2 million students in all fifty states with the opportunity to enhance their studies in the arts, math, science, and social studies. Grants are intended to fund visits to art, science, and cultural museums; community service or civic projects; career enrichment opportunities; and other events or activities away from the school facility.

Over five thousand grants of up to $700 will be awarded in January 2012. Grants are available to applicants from the U.S. for trips to be taken between January 1, 2012, and the end of the 2011-12 academic year (May/June 2012). Funds may be used to cover field trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, food, resource materials, and supplies.

Education professionals who are at least 18 years old and employed by an accredited K-12 public, private, or charter school in the U.S. that maintains 501(c)(3) or 509(a)(1) tax-exempt status are eligible to apply. Educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, or classified staff at these institutions must be willing to plan and execute a field trip that will provide a demonstrable learning experience for students.

The Target Field Trip Grants program is managed and administered entirely by Scholarship America.

Visit the Target Web site for complete program guidelines and access to the application form.

Teaching Ramadan

2011-08-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

If you're in session (and some of you are already), take some time to mention that we're in the middle of the month of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer.

Very helpful background information about Ramadan here.

And share these beautiful photos of Ramadan celebrated around the world.

Free Webinar on Teaching 9/11

2011-08-16T12:39:00.000-04:00

Delighted to share news of this terrific program from our colleagues at Harvard. I'm registering right now!

Webinar: Responding to the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 in the Classroom

The Outreach Center of Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies is offering a free webinar for teachers featuring educator-created resources and lesson plans for teaching 9/11 in 5th through 12th grade classrooms. Read more about the webinar here.

The one-hour webinar is scheduled for August 25th and will begin at 7 pm EDT. Presentations and discussions will take place entirely online, in an elluminate virtual classroom. This platform runs through Java, and does not require any downloading of additional software.

Register for this webinar here. Once registered, you will be given a URL for the virtual classroom location.

Grants for Social Studies Teachers

2011-08-03T09:23:00.002-04:00

This just in from NCCSS.

If you're a North Carolina teacher, you can get a grant of up to $1,000 to support innovative teaching in social studies.

Deadline is December 31, 2011. Check out the details and application here (scroll down).

Make time to do this. I'll bet you have a great idea simmering . . . .

Meeting K-12 and CC Folks

2011-06-21T14:55:00.000-04:00

One of those days when you (okay, I) say, "nothing's better than outreach!"

Had a great opportunity to talk with fifty-five North Carolina K-12 and community college educators, in the brethren-hood of my fellow outreach folks at UNC, Duke, and NC State. Love to see teachers' expressions when you hand them stuff for the classroom and say there's more if you want it. And love even more the response when you say, "we'd really like to hear what you'd value most from us."

It'll be a busy summer. I can't wait to get started!

Teacher Trip to Morocco

2011-06-06T10:14:00.000-04:00

Another exciting grant opportunity for June. This one could take you to Morocco.

"The Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) Program provides a professional development opportunity for middle and high school teachers from the United States to participate in a program aimed at globalizing US classrooms.

TGC is a program of the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by IREX.

Activities include:

• An online course designed specifically for US teachers aiming to globalize their classrooms;

• Two Global Education Symposiums in Washington, DC (pre and post travel); and

• An international fellowship through a two week country visit upon successful completion of the online course.

Travel under this program will be to one of the following countries: Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Morocco, or Ukraine."

What can I say? An online course, pre- and post-travel global education symposium, and, did you see, you get to go to Morocco for two weeks?

You've got to find out about this. Read more here. Deadline is June 15.

Grant to Teach Turkey

2011-05-24T10:09:00.000-04:00

Just heard of this great grant to teach Turkey. Deadline is June 3, so get going!!

Curriculum Development Grants of The American Turkish Society, initiated in the spring of 2010, offer funds to elementary and secondary school teachers nationwide to develop innovative curricula, projects and other classroom activities about Turkey. Our aim with this grant program is to increase knowledge about Turkey among teachers and students and stimulate interest in teaching and learning about Turkey.

Grants will cover the costs of research, materials, speakers, and other costs incurred by the school or the teacher. The amount of grants will range from $250 to $2,500, depending on the scope of the project, availability of total funds, and the number of projects selected through a competitive process. Preference will be given to schools that do not currently have Turkey-related programs in place. The American Turkish Society encourages all applicants to identify additional sources of funding where possible.

Once selected, the grantees will be free to develop their proposed projects without editorial input from The Society. However, they will participate in follow-up activities for evaluation purposes and will be asked to share any teaching plans, materials and activities with The American Turkish Society for future dissemination.

Application process for Fall 2011 Semester:

Application deadline (extended!): June 3, 2011
Notification: July 15, 2011

Please submit proposals including:

1) A 2-page summary with project description, including tools, materials, and methods to be used; objectives and anticipated impact; and the teacher's relevant qualifications.
2) Project budget with detailed breakdown of costs and grant amount requested
3) CV of teacher
4) Letter of support from school

Interested parties may send proposals to The American Turkish Society at info@americanturkishsociety.org or 3 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017.

Middle East Outreach

2011-02-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

I'm still for teaching the world on a shoestring, for sure. But now I'm the Outreach Director for the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, so resources and support will have a distinctively Middle Eastern flavor. I'll be adding to resources on our site in the coming weeks.

And a good time for it! We're all glued to events in Egypt and Tunisia and Bahrain and beyond.

Have you been teaching the crucial role of Facebook, Twitter, and informal broadcasting in Egypt? If so, you may be interested in this recent video from Cairo. It's a response to international support (also conveyed by social media) in beautiful images and many different languages. Enjoy!

Nobel Peace Prize 2010--The Missing Laureate

2010-12-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

Here's where Liu Xiaobo would have appeared onstage to the receive the Nobel Peace Prize. During the presentation ceremony in Oslo today, Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland placed the Peace Prize on the empty chair.

In the Laureate's absence, Norwegian actress and director Liv Ullman read aloud a statement written by Liu shortly before his imprisonment. You can read the full text here.

Fully Funded Teacher Trip to South Africa

2010-11-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the NC Council for the Social Studies for passing along this exciting news--

The Toyota International Teacher Program will be traveling to South Africa for the first time next year. The trip is scheduled for July 24 – August 10, 2011, and is fully funded. Deadline for applying is January 23, 2011.

Do you qualify? "Applicants must hold U.S. citizenship; be employed full time as a secondary classroom teacher or teacher-librarian (grades 7 – 12) in one of the 50 State or the District of Columbia; and have a least three years of full-time teaching experience."

If this sounds like you, please do look into this great opportunity.

The Toyota International Teacher Program already travels to Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador. The focus is on supporting teachers in including more global and environmental learning in their classrooms and communities.

Read more about these great (and fully funded!) programs here. And get your application together over the winter break!

Geography Awareness Week

2010-11-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

Get ready for Geography Awareness Week (November 14-20). The theme this year is freshwater.

You can look into some fun ways to celebrate in the My Wonderful World blog post. And you can download projects focused on U.S. rivers and North Carolina river basins at the website of our own NC Geographic Alliance here.

Let's hear it for freshwater!

Nobel Prize Week--Economics

2010-10-13T10:09:00.000-04:00

The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was awarded jointly to Peter A. Diamond, Dale T. Mortensen and Christopher A. Pissarides "for their analysis of markets with search frictions."

"Frictions" sounds as if we're in the realm of physics. But in an economic context, "frictions" refer to the inefficiencies that slow down a process (think finding a job or a buyer for your house). Read more about the Laureates' work here. (The Popular Information links on the NobelPrize.org site offer very clear and well-written explanations of all the Laureates' research.)

As I've mentioned, all the Laureates we've heard about this week are global heroes. Use their stories and their work to connect students globally across the curriculum. NobelPrize.org offers ideas for teaching here.

If you've got your own lesson plan or a strategy for using the Nobel Prize and the Laureates' work in your classroom, let me know. Email me at higginsteachingatgmaildotcom, and I'll feature your idea in a future post.

Nobel Prize Week--Peace

2010-10-08T20:02:00.002-04:00

"For his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China," Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010.

But chances are he won't be publicly accepting the award and delivering the traditional speech in Oslo. He's currently serving an eleven-year prison term in China for "inciting subversion of state power." (Liu Xiaobo has insisted that "Opposition is not equivalent to subversion.")

China's leadership has been described as "livid." The spokesperson for China's foreign office called the selection "an obscenity."

Liu Xiaobo is the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize, and the third Laureate to be awarded the Peace Prize while incarcerated. (The others are Carl von Ossietzky and Aung San Suu Kyi.)

Read more about Liu Xiaobo here. And follow this evolving story with your students.

Nobel Prize Week--Literature

2010-10-07T11:17:00.003-04:00

Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa has won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat."

In his novels, Llosa explores the theme of power in Latin America, especially the effect of political power (and corruption) on the lives of ordinary people. And he certainly hasn't avoided controversy. In fact, his first published novel (La ciudad y los perros, published in English as The Time of the Hero) was publicly burned in Lima.

Llosa's fiction has long been acclaimed, and he's a popular writer both in Spanish and in translation. (Take a look at the congratulations from readers around the world.)

Read more about Llosa here. And stand by for some well deserved media attention for a great writer. NPR is already offering commentary on what's bound to be a very popular choice for the Prize.

Update: Hear Llosa's response to the Prize here.

Nobel Prize Week--Chemistry

2010-10-06T16:15:00.002-04:00

Carbon is Nobel's star this year.

Yesterday Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov won the Nobel Prize for Physics for isolating graphene, a one-atom-thick carbon substance with unique properties. Today the Nobel Prize for Chemistry goes to Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki "for palladium-catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis."

Or, in simpler terms, "for developing new, more efficient ways of linking carbon atoms together to build the complex molecules that are improving our everyday lives." (Thanks, Nobelprize.org!)

Read more about the Laureates here and their accomplishments here. And stay tuned for Literature!

Nobel Prize Week--Physics

2010-10-05T12:57:00.010-04:00

What's the strongest, thinnest material? The best heat conductor? As good a conductor of electricity as copper? And is completely transparent?

If you're a physicist, you've known the answer for several years. But the rest of us learned today about the new wonder material graphene, a form of carbon that's just one atom thick. The structure of graphene is a lot like chicken wire (see above). Applications for the new material are still in the planning and testing stage, but its strength and unique properties may revolutionize electronics. We may be using graphene chips instead of silicon chips one day soon.

Russian physicists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov have won this year's Nobel Prize in Physics "for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene."

We'll be hearing and learning much more about graphene in the weeks and months ahead. For now, take a look at the background information about graphene on the Nobel Prize site.

If you have any students who think science is boring and that there isn't anything more to discover, here's the perfect answer. Even carbon, it seems, still has a few surprises for us!

Nobel Prize Week 2010

2010-10-04T09:56:00.004-04:00

It's Nobel Prize Week, when the Nobel Foundation will be honoring those leaders who have made a world impact in Medicine, Economics, Chemistry, Literature, Physics, and Peace.

Each day will bring the announcement of a new winner, and the opportunity to introduce students to global heroes and their extraordinary work. You can follow along on NobelPrize.org.

Here's the schedule

Monday: Medicine
Robert G. Edwards, developer of in vitro fertilization, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Learn more about the laureate and his work here.

Tuesday: Physics

Wednesday: Chemistry

Thursday: Literature

Friday: Peace

Monday: Economic Sciences

Follow along with your class this week, and learn more about the Laureates and their world-class contributions to global life. Who knows? You may inspire a future Nobel Laureate.

Update: Great ideas for discussion about in vitro fertilization at NY Times Learning Network.

Going to the Movies

2010-10-02T11:01:00.001-04:00

Well, it's Saturday. Are you thinking about movies, too?

If you're looking for films that combine fun and a fundamentally sound view of our global environment, go to My Wonderful World's blog post Five Favorite Environmentally Conscious Movies. A great line-up here (think up your own before you look!), and well worth passing along to parents who ask, "what can I do to enrich learning at home?" Good opportunity for watch-and-discuss.

And while you're on the My Wonderful World site, check out what's ahead for Geography Awareness Week. Mark November 14-20 on your calendar. More on that later.

The World on a (Violin) String

2010-09-21T11:08:00.000-04:00

You learn the parts of a violin, and then you get a violin.
Sounds too good to be true?

It's the truth, alright. Each of these young children from Durham Public Schools is about to receive his or her very own violin from KidZNotes, a not-for-profit organization promoting classical music training for children in East Durham's poorest neighorhoods. The violins and lessons--four lessons a week after school, and rehearsal on Saturdays--are all free.

KidZNotes Director Katie Wyatt (pictured here) leads the Durham initiative. And the global connection? This educational music movement comes from Venezuela.

Conceived and directed by Jose Antonio Abreu (an economist, as well as a composer, and conductor), El Sistema has touched and improved the lives of over 800,000 children living in poverty in the past thirty-five years. Its success has been re-created all over the world. Wyatt studied the curriculum in Venezuela as an Abreu Fellow and determined to bring it to Durham. You can read about the program here.

The long term plan is to replicate the East Durham project in other parts of the city and the state. (Maybe in your school district!) You can read more about KidZNotes and the big launch here. And keep up with KidZNotes with Katie's blog.

Congratulations to KidZNotes and East Durham's budding musicians on a wonderful start. When you start posting your concerts on YouTube, we'll post the link here!

Images of Global Cities

2010-09-17T11:00:00.001-04:00

I love these photos of global cities, and the captions explaining why each is unique in its global character, on the web site of Foreign Policy. (That's Singapore on the left.)

London's one of the big global stars, of course, and has been since the Roman Empire. And Hong Kong has long been an important international center for business. But Taipei is in the global league, too, along with Jakarta and Lagos.

Share the photos with students, and challenge them to research and report on a global metropolis. You could make it a year-long group project, with regular updates on each city.

Take a look into local business connections to a global city. You may be able to find someone in your community who's lived and worked there. Who knows? Across the world may be closer than you think!

Social Studies Conference 2011

2010-09-07T11:17:00.001-04:00

It's official. The NCCSS conference is set for February 24-25, 2011, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The theme is "Vistas, Visions, and Voices."

Registration deadline is January 31 (but don't wait! Get your plans in gear now!) Deadline for proposals is November 1. (See above!)

This is the highlight of the social studies year, if you ask me. Don't miss it. I'll see you there!

Free Teaching Resources from Facing the Future

2010-08-31T10:47:00.000-04:00

More free stuff!

Facing the Future is offering free download of a teaching unit for high school classes on production and consumption. Buy, Use, Toss? offers ten lessons, and is linked to National Standards for Social Studies and Science. The unit comes with a downloadable twenty-minute video, The Story of Stuff.

Studying production, consumption, and disposal a great way to open a discussion on culture and globalization. Download the unit now, and work it into your plans for the year.

As an introduction, take a look at these BBC videos on how people take out the trash in Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and the US.

Free Online Course for Teachers on East Asia

2010-08-30T12:25:00.003-04:00

Flash from my good friends Björn Hennings at the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence and Bogdan Leja of the NC Teaching Asia Network.

Columbia University and Teachers College have put together an On-line, Asynchronous Mini-Course Series on East Asia as part of the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia.

This is a wonderful opportunity for NC teachers to participate for free and upon completion of the course be eligible for a highly subsidized educational travel tour of East Asia.

Wonderful opportunity is right. For more information go here. And hurry, because the course begins September 9th. Participants may earn two CEUs for completing the course.

If you have any questions, you can contact Bogdan Leja at lejaATemailDOTuncDOTedu

ePals For the New School Year

2010-08-30T11:07:00.002-04:00

One of the most exciting ways to include global connections in your teaching is literally to connect your class with a class in another world region.

I"ve mentioned ePals in another posting, but it's well worth mentioning again, now that the new school year is underway. If you're worried about how you're going to find another class on the other side of the world, you can select and one easily on ePals. If you're worried about what project you might work on together, you can find one (dozens!) to choose from on ePals. And, as I've mentioned before, it's free.

So there you go. No more excuses.

If you still need convincing, listen to some young people talk about communicating globally. These could be your students. Click on the ePals site here and scroll down.

Hurricanes Are Global

2010-08-19T09:54:00.003-04:00

Updated 8/20/10

Just around this time every year, I start remembering Floyd. You probably do, too, if you were a North Carolinian in 1999.

Hurricane Floyd wreaked havoc, especially in the eastern part of our state, and it is (still) the greatest natural disaster North Carolina has ever experienced.

No one can forget Floyd. But I also remember his older sister Hurricane Fran. The night Fran raged inland was wild and windy, with torrents of rain falling, at time, sideways. I remember the streetlights blinking on and off, buffeted by the storm. My neighbor recalled the scent of salt water and pine sawdust. The ocean was passing over us, and it carried the aroma of the trees it had torn to shreds on the way.

For those of you thinking about the hurricane season (and who among us isn't?), here's a link to WRAL's Storm Tracker. Let's hope we don't have to consult it too often.

I love this interactive map, because it makes abundantly clear that the hurricanes that sometimes sweep over our coast (and inland, as well) are global weather phenomena. "Our" hurricanes begin as storms off the coast of West Africa, and, if they last, make their way westward across the Atlantic.

The WRAL map can show us these storms from quite a bit out there in the Atlantic, and tracks their path (and landfalls) along the eastern coast of the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the north coast of South America (Venezuela and Colombia). So while we're planning locally (school closings?), we can also see globally. Share with students during hurricane season to increase understanding of global weather patterns and reinforce geographic knowledge.

Bonus: Learn more about how we can study coastal flooding in this YouTube video on CI-FLOW. Great images of Floyd's aftermath here, as well as commentary by former Governor Jim Hunt. (Thanks to Terry Kirby Hathaway of NC Sea Grant for the link.)

Change in Perspective

2010-08-14T08:37:00.000-04:00

Not Back to School.

Forward to School.

(Repeat as necessary.)

The EU on NPR

2010-07-30T12:12:00.001-04:00

If you're teaching Europe next year, refresh your knowledge and understanding of the EU. Here's an NPR series well worth listening to. Thanks to Gali Beeri of UNC's Center for European Studies for the links.

You can receive regular updates on events and resources for teaching Europe and the EU by subscribing to the CES/EUCE listserv. Send an email to galiATuncDOTedu with the subject "Please subscribe me to your newsletter."

Professional Development: AP for Social Studies--Deadline July 30th

2010-07-12T09:49:00.002-04:00

Free professional development opportunity in August for NC K-12 social studies teachers. Read below, follow the link, and act fast--deadline is July 30th.

To support the mission of the NC State Board, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is providing a two-day professional development opportunity for K-12 Social Studies teachers. This two-day training will focus on preparing social studies teachers for the rigors of advanced placement courses as well as building capacity for social studies teacher to add rigor to their honors and standard classes.

Date: August 3-4, 2010
Location: Peace College, Raleigh, North Carolina
Cost: FREE!
The goals of the institute are to:

Build teachers’ capacity for teaching AP courses
Build teachers’ capacity to add appropriate rigor to their instruction and assignments
Build capacity for K-8 teachers who could help prepare students to take AP courses upon entering high school
Provide on-going dialogue about AP courses, teaching strategies, and teaching resources through the use of an on-line medium

To learn more, click here.

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

Nineteenth-century poet Walt Whitman had something to say about American education when he spoke at the dedication of a new school in Camden, New Jersey, in 1874.

Only a lot of boys and girls?
Only the tiresome spelling, writing, ciphering classes?
Only a public school?

Ah! more—infinitely more . . . .

And you, America,
Cast you the real reckoning for your present?
The lights and shadows of your future—good or evil?
This Union multiform, with all its dazzling hopes and terrible fears?
Look deeper, nearer, earlier far—provide ahead—counsel in time;
Not to your verdicts of election days—not to your voters look,
To girlhood, boyhood look—the teacher and the school.

You can read the entire poem, "An Old Man's Thought of School," here.

Happy Fourth of July!

Ideas for Summer Teaching

2010-06-21T11:47:00.006-04:00

Some of us are teaching this summer. For the summertime teachers, here are these ideas from the NY Times for classroom activities and research.

(And those of us who are out of the classroom for now might take a look for ideas to use in August.)

Exploring Exchange Along the Silk Road Teacher Workshop

2010-06-11T07:53:00.000-04:00

I know, I know. You've just sat down for the first time this summer. No sooner do you do that, but a great opportunity to learn comes along. And it's free. Here it is--

Exploring Exchange along the Silk Road Teacher Workshop

June 29, 30, and July 1, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Explore cultural exchange as represented in Chinese, Indian, and Japanese art in the Ackland Art Museum. Area scholars will discuss geography, art history, intercultural education, and more through the exhibition "Art and Cultural Exchange along the Silk Road."

K12 teachers will examine selected works deeply, experience interdisciplinary teaching in the galleries, and develop new activities for the classroom. Space is limited. Preregistration required. $30 registration fee will be returned to all participants at the conclusion of the program. Participants receive books and teaching resources and are eligible for 1.8 CEUs dependent upon prior approval from their school system or principal.

To register, contact Beth Shaw McGuire at bethsmcguire@unc.edu or call 919-962-0479.

This program is made possible through a grant from the North Carolina Teaching Asia Network (NCTAN), the Freeman Foundation, and the Ackland Art Museum.

Milestone

2010-06-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

Later this week, I'll begin a summer series of global resources to think about for next year. But first I had to celebrate this family milestone with you.

Tomorrow our son (our youngest child) will graduate from middle school. Next stop--high school. As my husband says, "the journey begins now."

Our son's journey is already in progress, of course. And yet the move from middle school to high school is huge. So much more independence and focus and hard work lie ahead for him. But he's excited, and we are, too.

The big world lies ahead. We're filled with pride and hope. Thanks to all our son's teachers for their wonderful support and challenge!

Global Teaching Articles on LEARN NC

2010-05-17T10:28:00.002-04:00

Exciting to have my articles on global teaching featured on LEARN NC's home page.

For more information and links to the best practices articles, go to New on the Website.

More articles to come. Watch here, and on LEARN NC.

Europe Day

2010-05-04T15:04:00.001-04:00

Coming up next week (May 9th, to be exact) is Europe Day, commemorating the occasion when Robert Schuman proposed the idea for a supranational European organization that would ultimately result in the creation of the European Union.

Are you teaching the European Union? UNC's European Union Center of Excellence offers classroom resources for teaching the EU here.

You can also go to LEARN NC to learn more about Teaching the European Union and Using EUROPA to Teach the European Union , and Teaching Contemporary Europe .

Bonne anniversaire, l'union européenne!

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T08:57:00.000-04:00

Because there's no place like home.

"My Role in Creating a Peaceful World"

2010-04-19T11:01:00.000-04:00

Looking for a great creative challenge for the end of the school year?

The Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO are sponsoring a student writing contest on the topic "My Role in Creating a Peaceful World." Students up to age 25 may submit an 800 word essay on the theme. (There are separate sections for entrants up to 14, and from 15-25.) Top prize is $1,000 and a trip to Japan to accept the award. Deadline is June 30, 2010. More information here.

And please note: Students can write and submit their essays in English, Spanish, French, German, or Japanese. Get them started now!

Volcanic Ash Plume

2010-04-16T12:57:00.000-04:00

So a volcano in Iceland blows its top and airports all over Europe shut down. The tiny grit of volcanic ash, we've learned, can destroy plane engines in flight. (Here's NASA's photo from yesterday, showing the plume headed toward northern Scotland.)

You can track the plume here. Great integrated lesson on earth science, geography, and engineering!

And, by the way, the name of the volcano is Eyjafjallajökull. That's pronounced "AYA-fyatla-jo-kutl."

(Or you can just say "the volcano in Iceland.")

EOCs and EOGs are coming

2010-04-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

Those tests are coming up fast. Pencils ready?

Are you just a little worried that you should have spent less time on global teaching and more time teaching to the test? Don't be. If you've been conscientious about opening the world to your class, chances are you've been more than conscientious about preparing them to show their skills on the test.

Remember that many non-fiction reading selections on language arts tests are drawn from social studies (particularly themes on world regions). This goes for the ACT and SAT, too.

Remember that global learning goes across the curriculum, and is an ideal curriculum integrator. Yes, you can teach math and science and global awareness. (And you do.)

Remember that global learning enhances literacy, critical thinking, and technology skills that are crucial for success in the 21st century (as well as for the test).

And remember you still have time to do some old fashioned test prep, if you want. Just don't forget global connections!

Teaching Latin America through Film

2010-03-24T15:45:00.000-04:00

Some people might see showing a film in class as a break. But if you're doing it right, it can be a real breakthrough in understanding cultures.

If you're a North Carolina teacher, the Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at UNC at Chapel Hill and Duke University will lend you films free. They've got everything from fun, short pieces on Cinco de Mayo to full-length feature films by leading Latin American filmmakers.

Read more about the film library and how to use film in your class here. Then go here and choose a film. And get ready for a breakthrough!

First Day of Spring

2010-03-20T10:04:00.000-04:00

Today, March 20, is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. And after the very unusual winter weather we've endured, I think it came just in time.

March 20 is, of course, the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. And tomorrow, March 21, is Harmony Day in Australia, a time to celebrate cultural diversity.

My Australian friend The Book Chook offers some background on the holiday, and great ways to celebrate the differences that make our community, our country, and our world so beautiful and fascinating. Read more on The Book Chook's blog post here.

To all my Northern Hemisphere friends, happy spring! And to my friends in the Southern Hemisphere, happy autumn! (We hope you'll have a better winter than we did!)

Images of Africa

2010-03-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

How many photos of Africa in your textbook offer your students positive images of family and the modern work world, and people in the midst of their everyday lives?

The African Studies Center at UNC-Chapel Hill offers "How Do We Represent Africa?" as a helpful balance to photos in books and in the media that emphasize poverty or include only the most exotic images. These are the photos of ordinary life in Africa that seldom make it into our textbooks or our living rooms. All the photos were taken by UNC students and faculty, and include brief descriptions of the scenes and people.

Show your students these photos and have a discussion about their reactions. What do they find surprising? And why are they surprised?

Resources for Teaching World Regions

2010-03-01T13:04:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who came to my session on "Resources for Teaching World Regions" at the NC Social Studies Conference. You were the liveliest and most focused group I've ever worked with!

I've sent the handouts by email to all the participants. If you didn't attend, but want information about university programs with free resources for NC social studies teachers, email me at higginsteachingatgmaildotcom (Remember to transform the "at" and "dot" into their symbols.) I'll send them along to you.

Teaching World Cultures

2010-02-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

According to the new NC Professional Teaching Standards, all teachers will be required to "promote global awareness and its relevance" in classroom instruction. To support educators in the transition, LEARN NC is aligning all their professional development resources to the new standards.

You're a past master of global learning, of course. But if you have any colleagues who are a little uneasy about teaching globally, steer them to LEARN NC's new best practices article Teaching World Cultures for some general guidelines, specific strategies, and resources. Come to think of it, take look at it yourself, and post your comments and ideas here. There'll be more articles and resources on global teaching to come on LEARN NC.

Chinese New Year

2010-02-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

The year of the Tiger begins on February 14th. For resources and ideas to celebrate the new year with global learning, I'm linking to the Book Chook.

The Book Chook is an Australian blogger whose work (in and out of the blogosphere) I admire greatly. She's a former kindergarten teacher, a writer, and a passionate advocate for literacy. (And she loved living in China for a year.) Wonderful ideas here!

2010-02-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

Making the Most of Culture Kits

2010-01-26T16:30:00.001-05:00

If you're planning to use culture kits any time this term, it's not too early to start planning.

Carolina Navigators will soon be offering standards-based lesson plans with their culture kits. You can also borrow culture kits from the Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the African Studies Center. All are available without charge (postage both ways included) to North Carolina teachers.

Find programs lending culture kits to teachers, and learn more about making the most of them here.

Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-15T10:03:00.001-05:00

As global teachers, how should we respond to the earthquake in Haiti? Depending on students' ages, you can share information and support discussion at appropriate levels.

Very young students, with "tender hearts" (a phrase I heard used by a insightful principal) may need to know simply that there was a big disaster, people need help, and that help is on the way. Older students may be more curious about the challenging logistics of disaster relief. For all ages, this is an opportunity to learn yet again the truth that we're all one people, and that we can and must help one another.

And what about contributing for relief? If you choose to make contributions as a class, it's a good idea to begin by researching how those organizations with which you're already connected are involved in earthquake relief. The American Red Cross, UNICEF, and Heifer International all have launched relief projects for Haiti. Additional relief organizations appear here. In discussing your decisions, make clear to students that it's always important to check to see if the organization is established and dependable in delivering aid.

Take some time to explore how people from all over the world, with all kinds of talents and resources, are working together in response to the disaster. Point out the important part social media has played in getting information in and out of the earthquake zone. Who knows? You may be inspiring a future leader in humanitarian relief.

Legacy of Timbuktu

2010-01-04T14:32:00.000-05:00

January brings a great opportunity to explore the history of West Africa. Come to Cameron Village Library in Raleigh, from January 23-29, and view the medieval manuscripts that made Timbuktu famous.

Read more about how you can deepen your understanding of West Africa and earn CEUs at no charge.

From the African Studies Center, UNC-Chapel Hill:

For centuries largely unknown by Europeans (and later Americans!), Timbuktu in present-day Mali was once a center of scholarship known throughout West Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East. From January 23-29, 2010, there will be an important exhibit on manuscripts from Timbuktu, "The Legacy of Timbuktu," at Cameron Village Regional Library in Raleigh. More Details on the Exhibit

In collaboration with this exhibit, the African Studies Center is providing professional development opportunities for North Carolina teachers.

On January 26, Barbara Anderson will introduce a documentary on Timbuktu and Renaissance-era Africa, entitled "Caravans of Gold." 7:00-8:30pm at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh.

Teachers can earn up to 3 CEUs by participating in all or part of an online professional development opportunity on the Legacy of Timbuktu created by the African Studies Center. For details and materials click on "Distance Learning Teacher Training" at http://www.unc.edu/depts/africa/outreach/.

In January the Center will also make available a Learning Box in support of the exhibit, "Timbuktu and the Sudanic Kingdoms of West Africa." The box includes books, maps, pictures, a video, and music. Teachers may borrow this box, free of cost, with free shipping both directions, by contacting Stacey Sewall at sewall@email.unc.edu.

For more information, please contact Barbara Anderson or Stacey Sewall in the African Studies Center.

-- Barbara Shaw Anderson
Associate Director, African Studies Center
Lecturer, Department of African and Afro-American Studies
African Studies Center, CB#7582
3027 FedEx Global Education Center
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7582
(919) 962-1406 office
(919) 843-2102 fax
b_anderson@unc.edu
www.global.unc.edu/africa

Chinua Achebe "The Education of a British-Protected Child"

2009-12-17T10:36:00.001-05:00

If you teach "Things Fall Apart" in your high school English course (and if you don't, you should consider it), you'll be happy to hear about Chinua Achebe's first published book for nearly twenty years, a collection of essays titled The Education of a British-Protected Child.

Read an excerpt here about the way we teach children about culture. You'll see that one of the greatest literary voices of our time is back at last, and, as ever, knows how to probe our brains in just the right way. Share with your students first thing next year!

Happy Chanukah

2009-12-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

We have students color in menorahs for Chanukah, and let them know that it's not "the Jewish Christmas." But we need also to let them know what the candles represent, and what Chanukah's meaning is rather than what it isn't.

Learn about the history of Chanukah and read contemporary poetry about its significance here:

NCCSS Conference Registration Fee Reduced

2009-12-05T08:33:00.000-05:00

If concern about the fee was keeping you from registering for the NC Social Studies conference in Greensboro, February 24-26, get our your calendar and mark the date. The NCCSS has lowered the registration fee from $90 to $65. Read more here.

The Social Studies conference is always a great opportunity to learn about new resources and teaching strategies, network, and meet teachers who are as passionate about global learning as you are. Please do come join us. I'll be presenting a session on Resources for Teaching World Regions (free resources, of course!). I hope to see you there!

Free Maps for Teachers

2009-11-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Geography Awareness Week (November 15-21), National Geographic's Geography Action! is offering teachers great (free!) maps and classroom activities.

The Mapping Europe kit offers a wall-sized tile map and a teacher's guide and support materials for all grades K-12. The Mapping the Americas kit gives you a huge map of the Americas and classroom activities as well.

Find out more about Geography Awareness Week here. Download those wall-sized maps and teacher resources here. Now start some geography action in your own classroom!

International Education Week 2009

2009-10-30T15:15:00.000-04:00

Get ready for the big party. International Education Week is just around the corner (November 16-20).

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, International Education Week celebrates global learning and international exchanges. For more information and ways your school can participate, go to International Education Week. You'll find some great celebration suggestions for K-12 schools here.

Do you already have plans for International Education Week? If so, post them on the International Education Week web site. Click here to begin.

And don't forget to spend a little time with the global quizzes (made possible by the National Geographic Society.) If your students score well, they'll get a message saying that the Secretary of State may have a job for them. (And who knows? It may happen!)

Service Learning in the Global Neighborhood

2009-10-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Community volunteering has become an essential part of many schools (particularly high schools), but has your school been thinking about introducing service learning? Roughly one out of three schools have a service learning component for students. It's a step beyond volunteering, with curricular connections, structure, particular objectives, and opportunities for reflection during and after the project. Here's some background on the goals and strategies of service learning:

Most service learning opportunities have focused on the local, state, and national communities, but Asia Society now has resources and ideas for making your school's service learning truly global. Whether you're planning a service learning component, or deepening your commitment, take a look through Making Service Learning Work for Your Students' Futures. There's something for every level, from kindergarten through high school.

Service learning, like global learning, connects students' skills with real-life problem-solving and encourages critical thinking, respect, and responsibility. Talk with your colleagues about getting these powerful partners together in your school plan.

Geography Action

2009-10-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Steve Pierce of the North Carolina Geographic Alliance, for passing along notice of this great (free!) conference for teachers!

Second Annual Conference of the NCGA and SCGA Consortium for Geography Action!

Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Registration begins at 9:30 AM

University of North Carolina – Charlotte, McEniry Building Charlotte, North Carolina

Come learn about this year's Geography Action theme, Mapping Europe and ways your class and school can celebrate Geography Awareness Week in November. Classroom and school-wide activities, free materials and door prizes.

CEU certificate will be provided

Registration, schedule and directions are available by clicking on one of these links. There is no fee for this conference.

http://www.ngsednet.org/community/resource_uploads/GeoAction Flyer_Program.pdf

http://www.cas.sc.edu/cege/events/GeoAction Flyer_Program.pdf

Nobel Peace Laureate Barack Obama

2009-10-09T10:52:00.000-04:00

Who could have anticipated such a exciting choice for the Peace Prize?

The citation reads "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The Nobel Foundation press release is here, and is well worth reading, discussing, and keeping for further use. Watch for further discussions and resources online and in print.

A great global learning opportunity for all grades, and a very proud moment for all Americans!

Nobel Prize Week

2009-10-05T10:28:00.000-04:00

Watch this week for the announcements of this year's winners of the Nobel Prize. Prizes are awarded in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and economic sciences. It's a great way to think globally about the arts and sciences, as well as world peace.

The names will hit the headlines as they are announced, but you can also go straight to the official web site here. You can explore the educational resources and games there, too.

First up is medicine, with three American winners: Elizabeth H. Blackburn (University of California San Francisco), Carol W. Greider (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine ), and Jack W. Szostak (Harvard Medical School). They were awarded the Nobel "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and and the enzyme telomerase."

While the rest of us wait for Brian Williams to explain this to us, you might challenge your science-enthused students to do a little research and then explain it to the class. Same thing goes all week.

Don't forget to read about the awards in several sources in different countries. This is news that interests the whole world. Isn't it great to see how differently it's covered, depending on your perspective?

Discovery Channel: I Love the World

2009-09-29T08:31:00.001-04:00

Need a lift? Here's the reason you love to teach about the world (even on a shoestring!).

Thanks to my friend Paul Brian Campbell at Loyola Press, who featured this link on his blog, People for Others:

Euro Challenge 2010

2009-09-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

A flash from the Center for European Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Read on to find out more about a great learning opportunity for grades 9 and 10 and the chance of a free trip to Brussels for you, their teacher!

Welcome to the Euro Challenge 2010 -- an exciting educational opportunity for high school students (grades 9 & 10) to learn about the European Union (EU) -- the largest trading partner of the US -- and its single currency, the euro.

The competition is also an excellent opportunity for NC teachers, as teachers enlisting a team in the Euro Challenge are eligible to win a free trip to Brussels next summer. Now in its fifth year, the Euro Challenge is designed to appeal to students with a background in global studies, economics, world history/geography or European studies.

The competition aims to:

* Support local learning standards related to global studies and economics
* Foster economic and financial literacy and understanding of economic policy issues
* Increase students' knowledge and understanding of the European Union and the euro
* Develop communication, critical thinking and cooperative skills

The Competition

Each team of 3-5 students must make a 15-minute presentation describing the current economic situation in the euro area and analyzing a specific economic challenge in a country of their choice. Teams then answer questions from a distinguished panel of judges. Preliminary rounds are held in each of the participating regions, and the regional winners advance to the semifinal and final rounds held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Cash prizes for the top teams are generously provided by The Moody's Foundation.

Check out www.euro-challenge.org for training videos, research materials, and web resources.

Euro Challenge in North Carolina: Orientation Session and Free Trip to Brussels!

UNC will host an orientation session for teachers from North Carolina schools participating in the Euro Challenge later in the fall (details forthcoming). Teachers enlisting a team in the Euro Challenge are eligible for one of two spots to travel to Brussels in summer 2010, travel and accommodations paid, on a program organized by the European Commission.

How to Register?

To register for the Euro Challenge 2010, please complete and send in the registration form . For more information about the competition in the North Carolina region, contact Gali Beeri at gali@unc.edu or 919.843.9852.

For details for NC schools, visit www.unc.edu/depts/europe/academicprograms/eurochallenge.html . Open the information sheet and registration form here .

The Euro Challenge is a program of the Delegation of the European Commission to the U.S.

Teaching Abroad

2009-09-14T15:43:00.001-04:00

Just a quick post to alert you to the upcoming deadline for the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange.

If you want to teach abroad (and if you're reading this, chances are you do), go to the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange web site right now to find out all you need to know.

Deadline is October 15, 2009.

So what are you waiting for?

9/11 in the Classroom--Eight Years Later

2009-09-11T08:57:00.001-04:00

Eight years ago today, the United States--and the world--experienced an unimaginable tragedy when terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C. We all know the horrifying details, have seen and seen again the unspeakable destruction, and realize that our vision of our country as unquestionably safe and secure changed forever on that day. We also know that our freedom and our commitment to an open, democratic society gave us strength to live through that tragedy, and continues to support us.

For today, and many other days as well, here's a lesson plan that involves students in a discussion of the Heroes Around Us.

Keep teaching. Keep smiling. You've got the future in your hands.

--The Daughter of a New York City Firefighter

Asia Society Elementary Lesson Plans

2009-09-11T08:27:00.001-04:00

Just for K-5--great elementary lesson plans for teaching globally from Asia Society.

And leading the list is an interdisciplinary project on Cinderella, a story many cultures have told and retold. Share this new look on Cinderella (and Yeh-shen, and Cerentola, and even CinderLad) with your students.

Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, got no time to dilly-dally!

Maps and Bloom's Taxonomy

2009-08-31T09:18:00.000-04:00

Do you remember those big, heavy, roll-up maps that perched on the top of what used to be the blackboard? They were gorgeous, but, alas, very infrequently used.

One of my best memories from school involves those maps and a fearless, forward-thinking teacher. One day in sixth grade, Ms. Rigney pulled down every big map in the room, divided us up into groups, told us to come up to a map, look closely at each, discuss, and be prepared to report on it fully to the class. (She gave us a Bloom's Taxonomy-inspired list of questions as a guide.)

We grabbed our notebooks and gathered in front of our group's appointed map. When the principal looked in, she was appalled. (Imagine students in groups! Moving around! Talking to classmates!) Fortunately, the principal stayed for our reports. When it was over, even she had to admit that Ms. Rigney's crazy maps and groups idea produced great results. Score one for active learning.

The old, roll-up maps are gone now, and even good wall maps are hard to come by. But online sources provide good maps for online study and downloading and printing.

For this year's map activities, go to National Geographic MapMachine. Bookmark and print all you need for student projects (you can use Ms. Rigney's Bloom's Taxonomy idea). Take a look through National Geographic's great Xpeditions lesson plans for ideas about including map study in your classroom.

And don't forget to print wall maps of the regions you'll be studying. They're all free!

Earthlights

2009-08-20T10:24:00.001-04:00

First global image to share with students and discuss this year!

Okay, I'm partial. But isn't this Earth at Night great? The image is a composite of hundreds of photos of the earth at night taken from space by satellites. The lights show us areas of dense population and industrialization--cities and some huge urban swaths like our East Coast "BosWash" (from Boston to Washington, D.C.). You can click on the image in the link to make it bigger.

Put it up and ask students just to look at it for few minutes. What's their first response? (Might be "wow, some places are really lit up and others are really dark!") Ask them if they see any patterns in the light and dark areas. How about the coasts and rivers, where transportation is easier than, say, in the Himalayas (the dark area that sudden appears in the northeast of the Asian subcontinent). Can they find the Nile? The Sahara Desert? The Amazon rainforest? Why are these areas light or dark?

So much to see and discuss. Give it a try. I see some more every time I look. What do you and your students see?

Happy Birthday!

2009-08-17T07:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Gray's Creek Elementary School!

There's a new elementary school opening this year. The administration and teachers are meeting to make plans--brand new, never done before, let's-think-about-what's-most-important plans.

A new beginning gives us the chance to revisit our assumptions and our expectations. It's a difficult process, but it's the surest sign of life and growth.

We're all facing a brand new school year. Even if you're teaching in a school with a long, proud history, take this chance to think about what's most important. Plan to try something you've never done before.

I wish you the very best in the brand-new school year!

Teaching Globally/Teaching from the Heart

2009-08-06T12:59:00.000-04:00

What inspires you to teach globally?

Many of us point to a trip abroad, or the sudden realization that the world is wider than our county, or the new neighbors who brought fresh ideas and ways of living. All these are powerful experiences that open our minds and our lives to the world.

Sometimes it's a book that sows the seed. When I was four years old, my mother read me what I called a "chapter by chapter" book that never has left me. The title was (and is) The Ship That Flew.

Hilda Lewis tells the story of four children who happen upon an extraordinary magic ship that can take them anywhere in the world. And, they later discover, it can take them to other times, as well. Curious about the pyramids? Have a report to write on the Norman Conquest? They explore the place and time firsthand. Every one of their travels in the magic ship is not only a adventure, but an education.

I can't tell you how deeply it touched me, at first reading and at every reading that followed (and there were a lot of them!). What a great way to learn!

I knew by the time I started school that a magic ship was just make-believe. But I had some teachers who could rustle up some pretty impressive magic of their own. With their enthusiasm and knowledge, it seemed that we were flying magically to the places and times we were learning about, just like in The Ship that Flew.

There is some memory, some beautiful moment, that impels you to teach about the world, no matter how challenging it may be at times. At the end of this summer, before school begins, look into your heart for what inspires you as a global teacher. This year, and every year, let it help you and your students fly.

Number One Hit on Radio Malawi

2009-07-14T08:36:00.000-04:00

We're about halfway through the summer break. Have you begun to think about classroom visits for next year?

If you know any Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, ask them to come to speak to your class. Most are delighted to come and share their experiences. They have everyday, inside information about countries all over the world to share. Their enthusiasm for service is infectious. And sometimes they have stories to tell that will change lives.

While you're contacting your own Peace Corps friends and neighbors, learn more about Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Jack Allison at the Friend of Malawi website. During his service in the Central African nation of Malawi, Jack supported child nutrition. As part of his effort to improve children's health, he wrote and recorded a song called Ufa Wa Mtdeza ("put peanut flour in your child's cornmeal mush"). The nutrition message got across, and Jack's song was number one on Radio Malawi for three and a half years.

Jack took his act on the road, playing and singing to crowds all through the country in support of public health. Years later, after Jack had returned to the United States and become a physician, the government of Malawi requested he return and launch a musical/medical mission to help combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. He did, and you can listen to the songs for public health Jack wrote and performed in villages throughout Malawi.

Peace Corps resources for teachers and students are available here. I'll be featuring World Wise Schools in a future post. In the meantime, sing along to Ufa Wa Mtdeza and round up your Peace Corps friends. It's not too soon to plan their visits!

Global Work at the DMV

2009-06-29T08:14:00.000-04:00

Do your students tell you, "oh, I don't need to know all that global stuff to get a job. I'm going to work right here in North Carolina"?

Tell them to think again.

Last week I went to the local DMV office to renew my driver's license. (Always a thrill, of course.) While sitting on a hard plastic chair and reviewing the road signs, I saw some significant global interaction.

People from Asia, Europe, and Latin America were in the office to get their North Carolina driver's license. Some were still perfecting their English-speaking skills, or still getting used to living in another country. (And let's all take a minute to think about how we'd feel as we tried to get our license in, say, Brazil.)

The license examiner explained the procedure carefully and helped each person to find the necessary identification in their passports and immigration documents. She was not only professional, but friendly and supportive in serving each customer.

Understanding international bureaucracy. Coping with language challenges. Being sensitive to cultural differences. Our students will need these skills everywhere they work. Tell them about it.

Windows on Iran

2009-06-23T09:32:00.000-04:00

A short post to alert you to a great resource in following the events in Iran. Fatemeh Keshavarz, who teaches at Washington University at St. Louis, has been blogging about post-election developments.

Windows on Iran began a year or so ago as a series of emails about contemporary cultural life in Iran. I signed up for them when I heard Keshavarz read from her insightful book Jasmine and Stars in Chapel Hill. Now, of course, Keshavarz is focusing on the crisis in Iran following the election, as well as responses from the rest of the world.

Keshavarz's blog is a clear and thoughtful call in a time of chaos. Well worth following.

Summer at the Library

2009-06-16T13:20:00.000-04:00

School's out. Time to head for your local library. We give students that good advice. But do you take it yourself?

This week, go to your community library and check out their global resources. Preview the illustrated books on countries you'll be featuring next year. Take some time to read more about a country or world region you've always wanted to teach. Look for CDs with international music (Putamayo offers a great selection of music from all over the world). And take some language-learning recordings home with you. Learn some greetings in French and German and Chinese and Spanish and Russian. Good way to start the new school year!

Find out, as well, what online resources your library can offer you remotely, from your computer at home. You may be able to download music, articles, even language lessons. Ask a librarian what's available, and how you can take advantage of it. They're happy to help. And it's free.

See you at the library!

Budget Worries

2009-05-29T11:32:00.000-04:00

All over North Carolina, all over the United States, teachers are worried about the economy and the upcoming state budget. The size of the proposed cuts in education are alarming, to say the least.

What can educators do about proposed cuts in funding to education? We can
1) Not panic.
2) Start thinking and planning.

Some of your thinking and planning certainly should involve communication with your state representatives. Let them know what proposed cuts in education really mean.

Then start communicating with yourself. Take a updated inventory of the personal resources you can draw on to teach globally. What are your own abilities and experiences? What about the people you know who can offer support in teaching about a region of the world? The free resources you can access? All can be used in your classroom to enrich global learning.

I'll keep posting free and low-cost resources and ideas here. You let me know about any more you're using successfully.

We're living in tough times, for sure. But (and I've said this before) teachers are tougher.

Culture Kits

2009-05-11T07:56:00.000-04:00

Here's a teacher's dream.

You ask for a box of really cool, authentic stuff from the country you're teaching and it shows up at your school. With someone to explain it all. Free.

If you're a North Carolina teacher, this is no dream. This is the service offered by Carolina Navigators, a program in the Center for Global Initiatives at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The culture kit pictured here is from Taiwan, and comes with ideas about activities for your classroom. You can also choose among kits from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Holland, India, Japan, Jordan, Kenya and Ghana, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, Pakistan, Panama, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad, Turkey, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. You can browse through all the available culture kits here.

Where's the catch? There is none. Just request your kit at a reasonable time in advance, so you'll be sure to have it when you need it. Find out more about borrowing a (free!) culture kit here.

Earth Day Every Day

2009-04-15T09:43:00.000-04:00

This Wednesday, April 22nd, we'll celebrate our 39th Earth Day. Yes, we've been especially remembering our vital connection to the life of the earth on this day for thirty-nine years. To recap (and start preparing for next year's big 40th), you can read a short history of Earth Day, written by its founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson.

But shouldn't we be conscious of our reliance on earth's resources every day? Definitely. That's why LEARN NC offers Focus on Planet Earth with interactive sites, great lessons, and field trip ideas for North Carolina teachers. Bookmark this site and revisit it regularly--not just next week--for classroom resources for local and global environmental learning.

By all means, let's plant a special seedling or tree on Earth Day. But every day we can teach that our personal and public decisions about the environment are important for our shared life on earth. That's sustainable global learning.

Food for Thought

2009-04-07T11:08:00.000-04:00

It's spring break around here, with the daily reminder that there are countless ways to get hooked into some online activity. Invariably you suddenly find that hours have passed, and you haven't accomplished anything.

If you or your out-of-school students are looking for some online fun that produces actual, calculable, and beneficial global results, go to FreeRice. Put your vocabulary to the test, and you'll earn free rice (10 grains per correct answer) for the world's hungry. The sponsors whose banner appear on the site fund the food you earn by playing.

FreeRice is produced by the United Nations World Food Programme with its partner, the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Since the site opened in 2007, more than 60 billion grains of rice have been donated. The rice has been distributed in Bangladesh, Uganda, Cambodia, Nepal, and other countries where hunger is a continuing problem.

The default page offers the vocabulary quiz, but click on Subjects and you'll find quizzes on art, chemistry, English grammar, and math. And if you want to test your global knowledge (and why not?), try the Geography challenges (identifying countries and capitals) and Language quizzes (French, Spanish, German, and Italian).

Miss a question? Don't worry. You'll find out the correct answer right away and be given a second chance in just a while. Then you'll nail it!

Sharpen global knowledge while feeding the world's hungry. Now that's a reason to stay online just a little while longer.

Global Weekend

2009-03-30T10:42:00.001-04:00

So--how was your global weekend?

You say you didn't have a particularly global weekend?

Well, let's see . . . .

You were online at some point, certainly. So you were part of a community of communication, along with millions of others all over the world.

You enjoyed meals, for sure. How many were international, at least in part? (Even if you don't count the pizza!) How many included ingredients that are enjoyed all over the world? (Rice, for instance, is an important staple not only in Asia, but in Latin America as well. And the peanut butter you slathered on your sandwich is very big in West Africa.)

How about the clothes you choose to wear? Which were manufactured or at least assembled in Asia or Latin America, or elsewhere?

Maybe you were a little surprised by what you've just read--and maybe you're suddenly thinking of more and more everyday global connections you've been making without really thinking about it. If you're teaching globally, it's important to be conscious of these small realities, so you can make use of them.

This week, make a resolution to become more conscious of everyday global connections. Get a small notebook and keep it with you. Whenever you realize you're connecting global in your everyday life, make a note of it. At the week's end, take a look at all the connections you've made and think of how life would be different without them. Challenge your students to do the same.

And enjoy a global week!

World News(papers and otherwise)

2009-03-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

When I was a freshman in high school, my social studies teacher insisted that we read the editorial section of the newspaper on Sunday and bring it in every Monday. In small groups, we'd talk about the issues featured in the section, and then we'd come together as a class for a formal discussion (and you'd better be ready to cite your source!). It was a great way to begin each week, and reminded us of the connections between local, national, and global spheres.

Local newspapers still offer us that weekly "roundup" opportunity. And there are more possibilities than ever to read and discuss global news connections in the classroom.

The New York Times is available online, as most know. But now you can also read the global edition of the Times, published in collaboration with International Herald-Tribune. And did you know that allAfrica.com posts news stories published in African newspapers? The BBC World News is another great source for international updates and stories. If you're interested in seeing what's making the front page in cities around the world, take a look at the Newseum site (click on a world region to choose a city and view).

Take advantage of the global news online. Choose a news event with global connections, divide the class into groups, and ask each to read about it in a different online news source. Come together as a class and discuss the different perspectives you find in the reporting. A good way to begin the discussion is to read aloud the first sentence or paragraph (the lead, or lede) of each source. That will reveal what each source identifies as the most important point of the story.

Are they all the same? Probably not! Perspective shapes our perceptions. The view from Chennai is not the same as the view from Charlotte. But both views are worth exploring and discussing, because learning experiences that widen our perspectives deepen our understanding of the world.

The Vernal Equinox: Perfect Balance

2009-03-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

Friday, March 20th marks the vernal equinox--the day on which Earth experiences a perfect balance. We'll have twelve hours of darkness and twelve hours of light.

In the northern hemisphere, we'll be moving into spring and summer, and so the light will grow each day (as it has been since the winter solstice, last December 21st). In the southern hemisphere, we'll be moving into autumn and winter, and so the dark will grow each day (as it has been since last December 21st).

Windows to the Universe offers great information, ideas, and lessons plans for introducing your students to the very global subject of astronomy. Lesson plans and resources are available in both Spanish and English. If you'll be teaching the vernal equinox, you can find information and diagrams suitable for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students.

National Geographic offers an activity with a fun scientific/cultural spin at A Reason for the Season on its Xpeditions site. Related activities for all grade levels are included.

Here's wishing you perfect balance! Happy Spring!

Beyond Leprechauns and Shamrocks

2009-03-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

It's almost St. Patrick's Day. Why am I bracing myself?

It's those nightmarish memories of being forced to color in acres of shamrock outlines in elementary school. Those hideous-looking leprechaun images. What kind of celebration was this, anyway?

Because my family was Irish, I knew just how far off the usual class activities were from real Irish culture. Where was the music? The dancing? The poetry? Irish language, besides "Erin Go Bragh"? How about "hello"? (It's "Dia duit," pronounced "dee-a-gwith.")

We can lose an important opportunity for cultural learning when we grab the first thing available for a holiday. Instead of getting out the leprechauns and shamrocks, play some authentic Irish music for your class. Have them listen to a recording of William Butler Yeats reading his poetry. Imagine how much deeper a discussion of "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" would be if everyone's just heard the poet speak the words himself.

And here's a great story for St. Patrick's Day. Caroline Duggan teaches art in an elementary school in the Bronx, very far from her native Ireland. When she shared her culture, it opened the world for her students.

Think about coloring shamrocks. Now think about learning to do something so well you get to travel to Ireland and appear on television.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

Is Globalization Dead?

2009-03-08T15:46:00.000-04:00

Remember the joke in Citizen Kane about the failing global economy in the thirties? A reporter innocently asks Charles Foster Kane, just returned from abroad, "how did you find business conditions?"

Orson Welles, as Kane, mockingly repeats the question, and then answers, "with great difficulty!"

We may be hearing that sarcastic remark for some time to come. According to today's World Bank report, the global economy will shrink in 2009 for the first time since World War II.

If you've been teaching with Globalization 101, you'll be familiar with their definition of Globalization as a dramatic increase in connections between people of different nations, driven principally by finance and technology. So what happens when global finance starts to contract sharply? Is that the end of the global connections?

Not entirely. The effects of globalization are cultural, environmental, and political, as well as economic. The changes--good and bad--that have been set in motion by globalization will likely continue. As educators, we can continue to encourage the growth of the ties between our students and students all over the world. Global awareness and understanding is still possible, and is even more critical, as the situation stresses the economies of all nations, particularly the poorest.

Keep yourself informed, as always. A good source of information for educators is Globalization 101's news analyses on the situation as it develops.

World Wide Weather

2009-03-02T09:12:00.000-05:00

March has come in like a lion. But the daffodils are still poking their heads through the wet snow. It'll be a mixed bag for weather this month, but we're on the way to spring!

How's the weather in other parts of the world in March? On the Same Day in March: A Tour of the World's Weather offers the answer for over a dozen different locations, from the Arctic to Australia. Marilyn Singer's poetic text is engaging and simple without being simplistic, while Frane Lessac's illustrations of snowy and steamy landscapes delight the eye and the imagination. Your own copy should cost less than $10, but the book is available in many community libraries (hopefully your own school media center, too).

Younger students will love this read-aloud-and-share-the-pictures treat. And you'll know you're covering goals in language arts, social studies, and science in a global context. It's a very visual and specific addition to the standard globe-and-flashlight presentation on seasons. Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end for a great explanation of seasonal reversal and global climate patterns. If you're beginning the day with a weather report, as many teachers in the primary grades do, the learning here will add a great global context.

Middle and high school students can share On the Same Day in March with younger students as part of a volunteer or service learning project in a community library or a school program. Bring along a globe and a box of seasonal items (gloves, scarf, umbrella, sun hat, etc.) After the reading, play "what should I wear?" With the older students' help, the younger students dip into a grab bag of locations, pull one out ("Kenya"), find it on the globe, and then choose what they might wear for the March weather there.

Maybe we can't do anything about the weather, especially in mad March. But let's use the opportunity to teach globally!

Resources for Teaching Africa

2009-02-22T15:41:00.000-05:00

Global teachers see their students' eyes light up when they hear "Africa." Most teachers would love to include more about the cultures and history of the second-largest continent in their teaching. The challenge is, where can you find really worthwhile African resources for your classroom for free?

You'll find them at UNC-Chapel Hill's African Studies Center. The ASC offers teachers a wide range of free resources right on their website to enhance the teaching of Africa in K-12 classrooms.

Go to How Do We Represent Africa? to find photos to share and discuss in class. These images make clear the diversity of African life and are a great way to counter the simplistic views we get from TV and the movies. Then browse through teacher-created lesson plans, offering standards-based activities on Africa for many grade levels and subjects.

North Carolina teachers can borrow Africa-themed books for all levels through the lending library. The ASC even pays the postage both ways. The same arrangement works for borrowing films about Africa. Take a look at a Senegal culture kit and find out how you can request it free of charge as well. It's a great opportunity to bring items from daily life in West Africa into your classroom.

To stay updated about resources for teaching Africa, join the ASC Outreach listserv. And when you teach Africa with those great, free resources, let ASC know about it. They're always interested in hearing how they can support learning about Africa in the classroom.

And, as ever, let us know about it here, too!

Global Lincoln? Yes!

2009-02-16T11:33:00.001-05:00

Happy Presidents' Day!

This year we're celebrating the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. Important, for sure. But are there any possibilities for global teaching here?

Plenty! The Great Emancipator is known and admired world-wide for his leadership and his integrity. Look here for a quick and fun summation of Lincoln's global connections, and well as the Gettysburg Address translated into thirty different languages.

The Lincoln Bicentennial Commission has a great website where you can find news about Bicentennial activities as well as teacher resources, including lesson plans. It's well worth checking out.

In the Global Lincoln theme, the New York Times is offering short essays on Lincoln contributed by writers from all over the world. Interesting to know that Japanese schoolchildren especially love to hear about Lincoln's log cabin beginnings!

In this year of Lincoln, we can all celebrate. If your class is corresponding with a class in another part of the world, consider collaborating on a "Lincoln Portrait" (What Lincoln Means to Me) and publishing your work online. If you do, send me the link and I'll share it here. Email is higginsteaching@gmail.com

ePals: Connecting Classes Globally

2009-02-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

If you're a global teacher who's tried to connect your class with a class in another part of the world, you've probably come up against three big challenges. The first is finding another teacher who's as committed as you are to making an international connection work. The second is making sure you've got a suitable match in terms of grade level, language proficiency, and interests. And the third (and this can be the kicker) is developing a project that gives the class connection meaning and direction.

The website ePals has a great reputation for working with teachers to meet the first two challenges, offering great ways to find teachers and classes to connect with all over the world. Since making its own connection with National Geographic last year, ePals now has the third covered, too.

Now ePals offers fully developed standards-based projects with lesson plans, resources, and even a schedule for the emails between classes. So once you're connected with a class internationally, you've got something very worthwhile to work on together.

Project topics range from cultural studies to habitats to maps (a natural for National Geographic). You can search for a class on ePals and choose a project together, or choose a project and then search for a class on ePals. The site offers built-in translation of Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, and Spanish for classes that need it.

Great way to add a global dimension to your teaching. Find out more about getting started here.

And (did I mention?), it's free!

No Dollars. Lots of Sense.

2009-02-05T14:29:00.000-05:00

You're a global teacher who wants to bring the world into your classroom. But now everyone's saying there's just no funding for global learning.

Feel like giving up? Don't.

There are lots of free and almost-free resources for teaching globally. I'll be posting global resources for all levels here. And I hope you'll join in with ideas and suggestions for your colleagues.

Times are tough. Fortunately, teachers are tougher.